The John Harris Society Newsletter No50 Winter 2014 Cornwall’s Tin Mining industry dies, but the works of John Harris lives on. Thanks to JH Society. Photo: Eric Parsons. oooOOOooo January by John Harris The New Year wakens like a peevish child In Winter’s chamber. Nature, his dear nurse, Rocks him upon a rolling cradle-cloud, While the cold winds lift up their voices loud, Filling the underworld with straining wild,— A tempest lullaby! In heaps up-piled The white snow fills the land, a drapery chaste, On mead productive, moor, and rocky waste. Echoes the flail from the old barn of thatch, The wild duck shelters in the frozen fen, The redbreast hops upon the wooden latch, And King Frost lords it o’er the icy glen. Heap up another log. How sad to be Abroad in such a gale on land or sea! CHAIRMAN’S RAMBLINGS – WINTER 2013/14 THANKS – AND HEALTH UPDATE I am so grateful to our Vice-chair, Eve, for taking my place at committee meetings and putting pen to paper for the last newsletter. Perhaps you feel she didn’t ramble like I do! But I’m back again! Two related spells in hospital have taken their toll though my recovery has gone generally very well and I was able to take the chair for the November committee meeting. GREAT EXCITEMENT! Eric has included in this issue as much as space will allow regarding William Catcott – the man who told Harris of the competition for the Shakespeare Tercentenary Prize – and of the contact Eric’s had with an excited researcher who discovered that Catcott came to Cornwall to see John Harris and wrote poetry about him. Read on! APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY Eric Parsons had no interest in poetry when his wife, Eve, at the invitation of Society founder David Everett, got involved with the John Harris Society but offered his help and has done a sterling job as Press & Publicity Officer over a number of years and for which we are all most grateful. This has included production of the Newsletter. There will be need to nominate someone else to fulfil this role. It’s an open playing field and nomination papers for all officers and the committee are enclosed for return prior to the AGM which meets at Troon Methodist Church on February 22. In past years, the Members’ response in nominating officers has not indicated a huge interest in the subject – or a lack of knowledge about likely candidates - which is a great shame because it is these people who hold The Society together all through the year. SO PLEASE DO FULFIL YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A MEMBER AND COMPLETE THE NOMINATION FORM. ANNUAL ‘BIRTHDAY’ OUTING The Society’s trip to Falmouth and St Mawes in October proved a real success though it was disappointing that only 10 people took the ferry to St Mawes. For some of the group, the cream tea at The Idle Rocks Hotel – sitting outside on the veranda and soaking up the sea and sun as well as the luscious scones, jam and cream – was a highlight! Two other Members joined us at Falmouth and we all viewed the plaque that recorded John Harris having lived in Falmouth. Unfortunately the information on the plaque is wrong and it is affixed to the wrong house – it should be on the adjoining one – so the Committee will be taking steps to investigate the possibility of correcting this situation. THE COMMITTEE REALLY DO NEED YOUR IDEAS FOR FUTURE TRIPS. SUBSCRIPTIONS Can I again remind all Members of the payment methods:- Subscriptions (£6 per annum due on 1 st January) can be paid by Standing Order to Lloyds TSB Bank plc, Market Square, Camborne TR14 8JT. Sort Code 30-97-00 Account No. 00480676 A/c Name: The John Harris Society. Standing Order forms are available from your Bank. Cheques made payable to ‘The John Harris Society’ can be sent to our Treasurer: Mrs Christine Cowls, 20 Westborne Road, Camborne TR14 7JD (01209 713863). Overseas subscriptions can be paid via PayPal to my email address (shown again on the back of this newsletter) but here it is: [email protected] 2 Please ensure that any changes to current contact details are passed to both Tony and Christine – their details are again on the back of this newsletter. ‘Thank you’ to all Members for your continuing support for The Society. Paul Langford oooOOOooo Press and Publicity Officers Report. Sadly, this will be my final report as Press & Publicity Officer and my last edition of the Newsletter. I assisted Eve and Derek Reynolds to produce the editions in 2002 and gradually took over full editorship in 2003/4. I am deeply indebted to all who have submitted copy over these years and trust you will support the next P/P Officer in a similar manner. My computer skills have greatly improved since I started and at one time I lost the records of previous editions when up-grading my computer. I have since copied every edition since the formation of the society and they remain available for reference by interested parties. These files will be passed on to the secretary and/or to the next Press and Publicity Officer. Please support my successor with your own articles of interest to all our members. I have resigned from this post as I have other subjects I am studying and wish possibly to publish a book or two in future. Much of this study is via the internet and requires my full attention and my spare time. I will of course continue to support the society in any way I can and trust it will continue to thrive. Thank you all. Eric Parsons. oooOOOooo This greatly simplified diagram shows the principal upon which the man-engine worked. See text page 11 3 The fruits of research by Eric Parsons. Press and Publicity Officer. I received an email from a lady (Clare Blackmore) in Wells, Somerset, enquiring if we knew of a William Catcott (1808-1870) Known as the ‘Baker Bard’ of Wells. She had found two lines only of one of John Harris’ poems – Who taught thee in thy native Wells But nature’s language in his dells…. I contacted Professor Charles Thomas to ask he knew of this poem and sure enough he phoned me the next day to tell me he had located it in JH’s book, Shakesperes Shrine…Not the first two lines but two lines of the 7 th verse! I sent this information back to Clare and she replied – “Thank you so so much. I am endeavouring to give William Catcott the local status he deserves having been lost to Wells for 150 years. So far the City Council have agreed to name a road after him on a new development and I have to give a presentation to the Civic Society in order to persuade them to back me in getting a Blue Plaque for William's birthplace. I will use John Harris’s poem as part of that. I wonder how the two poets came to know of each other? William was very much Wells based having had a bakery in the city for most of his life (hence the Baker Bard title) The local paper published some of his poems but his book “Morning Musings” was not published until his death in 1870. It was very kind of you to find the poem for me. Thanks again. Clare. Then an amazing coincidence…Clare’s husband had studied at the Camborne School of Mines earlier and lodged at “Six Chimneys” Bolenowe, the original home of John Harris!!! Spurred on, Clare searched the records of the journal and found:- John Harris letter to William Catcott published with William's poem in The Shepton Mallet Journal 1864. “A few weeks ago I visited my birthplace. The dear old croft I have written so much about and love so well is now ploughed up and converted into a field of corn. When I saw the green oats waving in the breeze and mused on happy hours of rhyming passed in my mossy bower now mine no longer and stripped to me of all it’s inspiration, the heath and thyme all rooted up and burnt in the fire, I sat down and shed many tears. Thus it is that changes come over all sublunary things and the poet as well as the politician is forgotten in the rush of the world after gain. I write this to you thinking my desolated bower would be a nice subject for your pen. J.H.” The first verse of this poem :- Forth from the spirit crushing town In rosy springs fresh morning hour O’er glittering glade and golden down Towards his dear old native bower The miner poet tripped along The dew drops glistened on the flowers The merry birds were full of song How lovely seemed this earth of ours. Later John Harris writes:- William Catcott, subject of this brief memoir became known to me some fourteen years ago. He had then published a small volume of poems entitled ‘Morning Musings’ which attracted some attention in his own immediate neighbourhood. This volume he sent to us, which was the beginning of our friendship. 4 The poems were gentle, chiefly written on local themes and bore evidence of a close observant mind. Though they lacked finish and the true fire of high song, he next published a little brochure which he called ‘Lyrics.’ This contained one of his best poems, ‘The Plough’ which is of itself a sufficient ground to his claim as a minor poet.